B+N vs K Endgames

Many of you may not yet have mastered the subtleties of Knight + Bishop v King endings. I've never had to prove my mastery of that endgame over-the-board. In the only such correspondence game, my opponent mercifully resigned (after all, I could just look up the correct technique in any endgame book). The technique is quite challenging if you have never seen it before. The mate must occur in the corner controlled by the bishop, but there is no way to force the king there directly.

Your opponent is more likely to run to the other corner. That's the easy part. Can you force the king from that corner towards mate? If you are on the defense, try at that point running towards the mating corner. If your opponent doesn't know the right technique, you may be able to escape before he closes in!

Of course, you can look up the technique in the books, but here's a fun way to get it down... a collection of real over the board games, some featuring some famous grandmasters, in which each had to demonstrate the proper technique. As you will see, not all rose the occasion! It's especially fun to see how the games actually reached these endgames. Enjoy!